I feel bad for Mississippi (Magnolia, Pope: crime, hotel, public school)

[ckhthankgod]

Check out my dad's hometown in Holmes County. Down to earth folks, but you wouldn't believe that such poverty exists in this country. Like I said though, the people aren't poor in spirit.

[Huckleberry3911948]

i love MS especially sardis dam area south of Oxford.

[ja1myn]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Check out my dad's hometown in Holmes County. Down to earth folks, but you wouldn't believe that such poverty exists in this country. Like I said though, the people aren't poor in spirit.

CHK! I never knew you had roots in MS. Will be sure to check it out.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by ja1myn

CHK! I never knew you had roots in MS. Will be sure to check it out.

Yeah, my father is originally from Tchula, a Delta town. My grandfather's family is from LeFlore or Sunflower County originally. My grandmother had family in Yazoo City, if I'm not mistaken. You might find this interesting, but my grandmother worked for a Chinese store owner and my dad told me about buying clothes from a store owned by a Jewish merchant. Both groups actually have a history in Mississippi, that goes back well over a century. You can find Italians, SE Asians and people of French descent in Southern Mississippi down to the Gulf. So, there is some cultural diversity in parts of the state. Can't forget my Choctaws as well.

[ja1myn]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Yeah, my father is originally from Tchula, a Delta town. My grandfather's family is from LeFlore or Sunflower County originally. My grandmother had family in Yazoo City, if I'm not mistaken. You might find this interesting, but my grandmother worked for a Chinese store owner and my dad told me about buying clothes from a store owned by a Jewish merchant. Both groups actually have a history in Mississippi, that goes back well over a century. You can find Italians, SE Asians and people of French descent in Southern Mississippi down to the Gulf. So, there is some cultural diversity in parts of the state. Can't forget my Choctaws as well.

Italians and SE Asians? I woulda never guessed.

[p-squared]

Originally Posted by ja1myn

Italians and SE Asians? I woulda never guessed.

And THAT is your problem. You have totally swallowed every stereotype of Mississippi that you have ever heard, plainly evidenced by your posts. You say you don't mean to offend, and then you say something like that?

We're not all poor sharecroppers. Black folks and white folks live in the same neighborhoods and drink from the same water fountains, and yes, even Italians and SE Asians can be found here. Someone said we are culturally behind the rest of the country; I say we are leading the effort to return to the cultural norms that made America great.

Your posts are EXACTLY why New Yorkers have such terrible stereotypes themselves. You belive the sun rises and sets on New York and feel pity for the rest of the country that they don't live in New York.


I have lived all over the eastern half of the U.S., from Rhode Island to Florida, and traveled around the world. I've been to the great cities of the world; New York, London, Rome, Venice, Tokyo, Sydney, and many many more. I've seen what they have to offer and was impressed. When I had to choose where to finally settle down, though, Mississippi was my choice.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by p-squared

And THAT is your problem. You have totally swallowed every stereotype of Mississippi that you have ever heard, plainly evidenced by your posts. You say you don't mean to offend, and then you say something like that?

We're not all poor sharecroppers. Black folks and white folks live in the same neighborhoods and drink from the same water fountains, and yes, even Italians and SE Asians can be found here. Someone said we are culturally behind the rest of the country; I say we are leading the effort to return to the cultural norms that made America great.

Your posts are EXACTLY why New Yorkers have such terrible stereotypes themselves. You belive the sun rises and sets on New York and feel pity for the rest of the country that they don't live in New York.


I have lived all over the eastern half of the U.S., from Rhode Island to Florida, and traveled around the world. I've been to the great cities of the world; New York, London, Rome, Venice, Tokyo, Sydney, and many many more. I've seen what they have to offer and was impressed. When I had to choose where to finally settle down, though, Mississippi was my choice.

Look, I'm not denying that Mississippi has made great strides recently and IS improving, but let's be honest here...in almost every ranked category across the nation, Mississippi ranks dead last or close to last. Truth is, things here are bad, but not quite as bad as most northern people believe. Most northern people envision a Mississippi with people who are lacking most of their teeth, who drive old beat up cars and farm trucks, who are all part of the Klan, who are still very racist towards blacks...and of course none of this is true.

By driving through most of Mississippi it looks no different than other rural parts of America. However, Mississippi still lags behind, and its economy shows it. While the rest of the country has emerged from the recession, Mississippi languishes in it, with a state unemployment rate of over 9%.

Population growth in Mississippi has been slow to stagnant for decades, people don't want to move there because there is nothing there to attract them. It's a long struggle for this state to overcome, things are improving but the rest of the country is still improving faster.

[Wardendresden]

Originally Posted by p-squared

And THAT is your problem. You have totally swallowed every stereotype of Mississippi that you have ever heard, plainly evidenced by your posts. You say you don't mean to offend, and then you say something like that?

We're not all poor sharecroppers. Black folks and white folks live in the same neighborhoods and drink from the same water fountains, and yes, even Italians and SE Asians can be found here. Someone said we are culturally behind the rest of the country; I say we are leading the effort to return to the cultural norms that made America great.

Your posts are EXACTLY why New Yorkers have such terrible stereotypes themselves. You belive the sun rises and sets on New York and feel pity for the rest of the country that they don't live in New York.


I have lived all over the eastern half of the U.S., from Rhode Island to Florida, and traveled around the world. I've been to the great cities of the world; New York, London, Rome, Venice, Tokyo, Sydney, and many many more. I've seen what they have to offer and was impressed. When I had to choose where to finally settle down, though, Mississippi was my choice.

I think, P-squared, that you are being judgmental about someone who just doesn't know squat about Mississippi and was genuinely surprised about SE Asians and Italians. You've stereotyped J while exuding a stereotype of Mississippi. And historically the racial divide differences between the north and south have generally been--in the south, whites don't care how close a black lives as long as he doesn't have a better job than they do. In the north it has been the opposite. Over the past 20 years both situations have mitigated significantly.

Yes, New Yorkers use a tough, in-your-face type of language--but if you've been all over, you should recognize it as just cultural, not personal. I was living in Kentucky and working as an underwriter and had to caution a co-worker from New York about using the F word with our agents. Told him that could get him shot in the south. He said, "What? We talk like that all the time in the City!" He had no clue.

So cut the guy a little slack, let him come visit the state. Mississippi sure as hell can use some tourists in the state other than on Gamble Coast. The only way to learn about another culture is to experience it. And, I, too, have lived in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Colorado, California, Texas, AND Mississippi, as well as England (in several locations), Japan, Viet Nam (wartime), and Singapore. People are all a little different about some things, and extending a little courtesy and patience wins more friends than being defensive. God knows Mississippi can use more friends and fewer enemies!!

[GrandviewGloria]

Originally Posted by PT 3000

And oddly enough Atlanta has NOTHING in common with the state of Georgia other than being the capital city, there are times that I wish that Metro Atlanta would become a district like D.C. just so that we could get away from this backwood influence that reside in the capital building. Honey Boo Boo is from rural Georgia something you may can relate to and not Metro Atlanta, I actually look down on the way they exploit that child, and the way you worded your rant that I have highlighted I must say that the only places in the south that can compete with Atlanta would be Houston, Dallas and Miami, you may not agree but thats my opinion.

There is a certain something in your phrasing which offers a clue as to why the rest of Georgia wishes Atlanta could be extracted from the state, like the giant malignant tumor it has become.

In addition to Honey Boo Boo, Georgia spawned Paula Deen, the Queen of White Trash Cuisine. I mean, if you want to end up looking like Honey Boo Boo's Momma, just use Paula's pre-dibeeedus recipes (since her diagnosis, she's using her illness as a reason to go after a wider market).

But frankly, I'd rather live in the same town with Honey Boo Boo or Paula Deen, than near the typical resident of Atlanta. Apparently, the majority of former Atlantans would agree, since they choose to commute considerable distances, in order to locate their homes and families among the 'backwood' folk.

If Atlanta were a separate district, Atlanta tags could alert police in refuge exurbs to heightened danger of home invasions and robberies. And the cancer could be contained. Among other things, Atlanta could not extend its public transportation tentacles farther into the countryside, in order to destroy formerly nice counties. Also, the proposed 'regional' approach to government and schools being proposed in the other giant malignant tumor (Washington, D.C.) would not be as effective a tool for deliberately destroying every single remaining decent public school within a hundred miles of the Atlanta Tumor.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

I feel bad for people who feel bad about Mississippi.